Warren Jeffs, left, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, listens as Jeff Hunt, right, an attorney for the media, presents arguments for the release of sealed court documents, Friday, May 25, 2007, during a hearing before Fifth District Judge James Shumate in St. George, Utah. Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of a polygamous sect, is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the 2001 marriage of the underage girl to her 19-year-old cousin. (AP Photo/Jud Burkett, Pool) POOL PHOTO less

Warren Jeffs, left, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, listens as Jeff Hunt, right, an attorney for the media, presents arguments for the release of sealed court ... more

Photo: Jud Burkett

Gay monogamous couple are brains behind polygamy show

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Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, the screenwriting team that created "Big Love," don't have a personal interest in Mormonism or polygamy, but they do know something about family lifestyles outside the American mainstream. That's because, offscreen, they're a gay couple celebrating the 16th year of their own monogamous relationship. In an interview in May, they talked about the ideas behind "Big Love" and some of the changes they've made in the second season.

Q: Who came up with the idea for "Big Love"?

Mark V. Olsen: I did. We were driving back to New York from family vacation in Nebraska. Mormon polygamy has always been on my radar. I grew up in Oregon and have good friends at the University of Utah.

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Q: What was your partner's reaction?

Will Scheffer: My initial reaction was "Yuck! That's not an idea that's going to create a mass audience for television!" We actually had a big fight about it in the car ride back to New York City. Mark said, "I'm going to prove to you that this is a good idea!"

Olsen: There was always this idea of a suburban take on polygamy. After a bit of research, we found out that there are multiple ways of living polygamy. We came to know more about this than a lot of mainstream Mormons know. We took a certain degree of flak in the beginning for creating a kind of family that does not exist, but they do exist.

Olsen: Roman Grant is not Warren Jeffs. He's a bit of a composite. He's about two-thirds Rulon Jeffs, who was Warren's father. Our character Alby is much more Warren Jeffs. It's as if we are following that story three of four years ago -- before Warren Jeffs rose to power.

Q: One criticism most polygamists have of the show is that it contains too much sex and not enough religion. How do you respond?

Olsen: We've heard that a lot. Well, these people have very large families, so given the size of their families, it is clear that they do have sex and they have it fairly frequently. But we have tried to be more sensitive this year and show that they do it with modesty.

Scheffer: We're trying to show more religion, but it's hard with independent polygamists. Our family doesn't have a church. They don't live on a compound or belong to the (mainstream) Mormon Church. But this year we show Bill in a prayer group and leading more prayer in the household. And we see Bill giving children religious instruction after dinner and show the family discussing where to send the kids to school.

Scheffer: I have definitely reversed some of my initial "yuck" reaction. We don't really take a pro or con stand on polygamy, but I have to say that I have begun to imagine it as a valid lifestyle and am sympathetic to polygamists in adult relationships with each other. I think it should be decriminalized.

Olsen: I agree. The abuses come by its illegality. Dark things grow in dark environments -- in secret.

Q: What about those who say polygamy inherently exploits or abuses women?

Olsen: Some feminists argued back in the '60s and '70s that marriage was inherently abusive and patriarchal -- that it was not a good deal for women. As the feminist movement has matured, there has been an evolution in that thinking. Polygamy can grow into a healthier model for some women.

Q: What about conservative Christians who say gay marriage opens the door to polygamy?

Scheffer: It's interesting. Fundamentalists say they are all for taking Bible stories literally. Well, there is a long history of polygamy in the Jewish tradition and Bible tradition. Why do those people get to pick and choose which Bible readings they condone and which they don't?

Q: Has writing "Big Love" made either of you want to try polygamy?

Scheffer: We have been together as a monogamous couple for 16 years.

Q: So neither of you is tempted to try polygamy?

Olsen: That would be grounds for divorce!

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